I'm Broken Without You
by FeastOnTheMind
Summary: A sad love story that occurs after Bunnymund is tortured by Pitch, and torn down to nothing. As Jack nurses him back to health, tears flow, and pain follows.
1. Chapter 1: It's Not You

**This was a short story I wrote on school camp. I find it really emotional - and it was really special for me to write. I wrote this on paper, and typed it up once i got back home. There are some bits which I think could have been improved - but I was so affected by this story, that I didn't want to change a single word from the paper version. I hope you understand that. **

**I wrote this story when I was feeling depressed - and I was considering the question of: "What if you leave, but your loved one gets left behind?" **

****I'm Broken Without You****

The terrified whimpering echoed across the small room at the back of North's workshop.

Jack tenderly placed one foot in front of the other, as he approached the noise. His hand was extended, his fingers splayed out, exposing his palm. As he drew closer, he heard the small scuffling sounds of furry feet against the stone ground.

_"Come on little guy"_ Jack thought to himself desperately, tears prickling at the backs of his eyes.

Jack had managed to corner the little furball between a cabinet and a bookshelf; there was no where for the tiny animal to go, and it had begun desperately whimpering and pawing at the walls.

Jack swallowed back the bitter taste of bile swelling in his throat.

_"Come on Jack - focus. Please. Please," _he begged himself silently.

He was now crouching close enough to lean against the dusty oak cabinet. He could dimly see the shape of the little creature in the shadows. Carefully, ever so carefully, he reached forward with his hand.

A desperate yelp echoed from the shadows as his hand drew closer. Then the furball began to wail loudly, his little paws desperately pounding against the stone wall. Jack forced himself to continue, despite the tears slowly filling his eyes. The distraught sounds coming from the little animal was wrenching at his heart - it sounded so scared...so terrified of him.

_"Of me..." _Jack's hand found warm fur, and he slowly closed his fingers around the terrified creature.

It was shivering violently, jolts of fear wracking it's body. It tried to struggle free of Jack's grip, but it couldn't. It began yelping weakly, barely managing an attempt to bash it's small paws against Jack's fingers. As Jack drew his hand out of the shadows and into the light, the furball stopped struggling, and simply collapsed meekly, still letting out soft yelps.

Jack stood, and looked at the animal in his hand. Sickening bolts of pain shot through the spirit as he looked at the tiny creature. Although the black markings still decorated his blue fur, and bright green eyes flicked around the room nervously, it wasn't him.

It wasn't Bunnymund.

Because those bright green eyes were twisted with fear and haunted by darkness; his blue fur was caked with dirt and dried blood. The once fierce warrior had been torn to shreds, and reduced to his weakest form. Jack let out a shaky breath, and raised his free hand. He reached out slowly towards Bunnymund. His fingers approached Bunny's forehead, but when they came close the small rabbit let out a whimper and curled himself into a ball. Jack dropped his hand, lamely letting it hang by his side. He could feel a small, cold tear slide down his left cheek.

"Oh Bunny..." he said softly.

He turned around, and walked across the room. Bunny's tiny form was still quaking wildly in Jack's arms, and the spirit drew Bunny closer to his chest.

The room was plain and dull - a simple storage room. Asides from the cabinet and bookshelf, a broken dressing counter stood to one side, pressed against the barren stone walls. An ugly painting of a forest was awkwardly pinned to a display shelf that stood next to the rotting door that led outside. In the middle of it all sat a single wooden rocking chair, with a ratty old pillow tied onto it.

Jack ripped the pillow from the chair, and discarded it on the cold floor. He carefully lowered himself down onto the rocking chair, seating himself as comfortably as he could. He looked down at Bunny, who was still cowering in his arms. The little rabbit had crawled into the crook of Jack's arm, and was desperately clinging to the spirit's sweater. Jack reached out once more - and this time, Bunny didn't resist. Little Bunny snuggled against Jack's chest as the Guardian of Fun stroked Bunny's back. The little creature was still panting in fear, but he was now nuzzling Jack's chest softly, which made Jack smile a bit.

With as little movement as possible, Jack slowly reached down to the floor by the chair. Sitting next to the curved base of the rocking chair was a small bowl filled with water; and a towel lying crumpled next to it. Jack carefully dipped the towel into the bowl, soaking the tip of it. He slowly brought it up to Bunny's face. Bunny saw the towel and began to whimper wildly, trying to scramble out of Jack's grasp.

"Hey..." Jack whispered. "It's all right, little guy. Don't worry. Shhhhh."

Jack reached forward and dabbed the rabbit's head. Little Bunny let out a terrified yelp, and began to make small sobbing noises.

"I'm sorry, Bunny," Jack said shakily, dabbing along the trail of dried blood that decorated the rabbit's face. "But I have to..."

Bunny continued to sob, desperately holding onto Jack's sweater as Jack cleaned the blood away. After a few more minutes, Jack managed to wipe away the last smear of blood from Bunny's face. The sobbing had subsided into pathetic, choked sounds. Jack threw the towel down on the ground, and slowly began rocking Bunny back and forth in his arms.

Bunny let out a small moan, and pressed his tiny paws against Jack's chest. The Guardian stopped rocking, and simply held Bunny. Then Bunny began to cry again. It was louder this time; massive sobs wrenching at his body; tiny tears spilling out onto Jack's lap.

"Oh...buddy," Jack carefully lifted Bunny up to his shoulder. "Buddy, it's okay."

The small rabbit wrapped his paws around Jack's neck and rested his head on the Jack's shoulder as he cried. Jack slowly stoked Bunny's fur affectionately, comforting the terrified bunny as best as he could.

_"I'll get you for this Pitch," _Jack thought. _"I fucking swear - if it's the last thing I do, I'll get you!"_

Because this was all Pitch's fault. The spirit of darkness had returned with a fiery vengeance, spinning nightmares across the globe faster than the Guardians could deal with them - and he had defeated the five protectors. Four of them managed to get away...but Bunnymund wasn't so lucky. The last Jack had seen of the Pooka was Bunny's body being dragged limply into shadows.

He had disappeared for months - and everybody thought the worst. That he was dead. Jack had barely slept for weeks on end, worrying over his friend.

_"But not just friends,"_ Jack reminded himself.

Before Bunny was captured, Jack and Bunny had found out how they really felt about each other. In that moment, when the two had fallen in love, Jack had felt truly alive. It was the first time he had felt true warmth. They had spent every day together, laughing, talking, dancing, and spending hours on end in each other's company. Inseparable until death.

_"But now," _Jack laid a small kiss on Bunny's forehead. _"This is worse than death." _

A week ago, Sandy had found Bunny. He had been discarded; apparently Pitch no longer had a use for him. Why would he? He had destroyed everything about the Guardian of Hope. This was worse than when the belief in the Easter Bunny had been killed by Pitch; even though Bunny had transformed into a small, helpless creature...he'd still had his flare. His personality. His soul. But he had gone to hell and back in Pitch's hands; and returned as a broken, limp shade of his former self.

"Fuck," Jack gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the arm of the rocking chair. Bunny let out a startled gasp, and lost his grip around Jack's neck. He slipped down Jack's front, and collected in a limp heap on the Guardian of Fun's lap.

Muffled, painful sobs greeted Jack as he lifted Bunny's little body from his lap, and cradled him in his arms. The small Bunny snuggled down against Jack's chest, and for a while, the only noise in the room was Bunny's sobs. But then, they too, faded away. Bunny's breathing eased, and the little rabbit fell asleep against his former mate's chest.

Only then did Jack begin to cry. They were soft, sullen tears, that streaked down Jack's cheeks like rain.

He leaned forward, and laid a small kiss on Bunny's forehead.

"I love you Bunny," Jack whispered, his voice cracking. "No matter who you are. But p-please...come back...I'm...I'm-"

_"I'm broken without you."_

_**I hope you enjoyed it, and I would really love to know what you think, so please leave a review telling me what you thought of it. I cried, a little bit. Is that self-centered? I hope not. **_

_**Thanks for reading. **_

_**~FeastOnTheMind**_

_**(Jack + Bunny)**_


	2. Chapter 2: Holding On

**Originally, "I'm Broken Without You" was meant to be a stand-alone story. But due to popular demand from my reviewers and followers who have PMed me, I've decided to continue it. **

**This chapter is quite long - but I couldn't find a good place to stop without...hmm...severing the emotional links, I guess. I hope you enjoy it! I'm not sure if it's sadder or happier than Chapter 1, but I think it's happier. However the story is definitely ****_not _****going to stay that way, trust me. **

**Enjoy!**

**(Oh, and btw, while I was writing this I was listening to the song ****_"My Immortal" _****by Evanescence. So If you're one of those people who enjoy the listening & reading thing, I recommend listening to the song)**

Jack's eyes slowly opened, dull light seeping under his eyelids.

He raised his head up from where it had been resting on his shoulder. He let out a loud sigh and looked at his surroundings.

_"I'm still here,"_ he thought sullenly.

And indeed he was. He was sitting, slouched in the old wooden rocking chair in the middle of the bare storage room. The ghostly, rotted pieces of furniture still sat against the cold stone walls, the abandoned cobwebs still lingered in corners, and the bitter smell of the room still filled Jack's nostrils. Jack drew a weary hand across his forehead, wiping a mild layer of sweat from his brow. He closed his eyes again and rested his head against the headboard of the chair.

Then his eyes snapped open.

Bunny.

Where was Bunny?

Jack looked down at his lap, but the only signs of the tiny Guardian were a few strands of blue fur that littered Jack's clothes. Jack stood up, and cast his gaze wildly across the room.

"Bunny!?" he called. He waited, but the only sound he got back was his own echo.

"BUNNY!" his took a few steps forward, so he was standing by the cabinet. He turned towards it and flung open it's drawers. But the only things that greeted him were a few old mugs and a box of sewing equipment. He slammed the drawers shut in frustration, and let out a shaky gasp.

"BUNNY!" he shouted again.

Then he heard it. Small, pathetic gasps emitting from the other side of the room. He looked over at the dressing table which had been awkwardly leaned against the wall due to a broken leg. Hidden in the shadows, Jack could see a small form huddled against one of the table's remaining legs. He took several shaky steps towards the dressing table, and knelt down. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed several bits of torn material surrounding Bunny's tiny form. He reached out slowly, and picked up one of the scraps. It was rough and brittle, crumbling slightly as Jack held it. The Guardian of Fun realised that it was a small scrap of paper. He looked at the others and, indeed, they were pieces of paper. Confused, he looked around. His eyes settled on three stacked books, which were helping to prop up the dressing table. The middle book had a page sticking out of the middle of it. The page was furiously ripped, small bite marks scattered across the edges.

Jack tenderly reached out, and gripped the page. He pulled, but it wouldn't budge. It was trapped under the weight of the other books and the wooden dressing table.

Jack returned his gaze to Bunny, and to his horror, noticed that Bunny's fragile body was shaking violently.

_"Shit" _Jack reached out hurriedly with both his hands, and slid his fingers under Bunny's arms. The tiny rabbit squealed wildly at Jack's touch, and began writhing wildly. Jack desperately lifted the tiny Bunnymund out from under the table, and brought him into the life. The little bunny's ears were drooping sickeningly, and despite his desperate movements, Jack could clearly see (and _feel_) Bunny's body shaking and quaking wildly. The little rabbit was pawing at Jack's fingers, trying to pry them off him. Jack brought Bunny up to his shoulder, and cradled him - to no avail. The rabbit was still squealing direly in pain. Jack attempted to take a deep breath.

_"C'mon Jack - focus. Focus. FOCUS!" _he screamed at himself. _"What's wrong with him? What's wrong with Bunny? C'mon Jack, you ca-"_

__Then Jack noticed it. Well - he heard it. A loud, yet muffled whirring sound. He looked up at where the noise seemed to be coming from, and was greeted with an unwelcome sight. In the corner of the ceiling, there was a crack. It was relatively large, and had probably been created through years of weathering. But that wasn't the issue now; what was the issue was what was beyond the crack. Jack could see the snow storm raging outside - snow lashing across the air in violent tendrils.

_"Why didn't I notice that before?" _Jack asked himself. Then; _"Because you can't feel it."_

Jack's eyes widened in realisation. Bunny was freezing - the cold air must have been gushing in all night, and Jack hadn't felt anything because he didn't feel cold. But Bunny had...and he'd tried to hide from it under the dresser. Which meant that the paper - he must have been trying to use the paper for shelter - but he couldn't because he was too weak to pull the page out...and...and

_"COME ON JACK! FOCUS!" _Jack snapped back to reality.

Without letting go of Bunny, he ripped his blue sweater off, leaving only a white vest on underneath. He carefully bundled it into a circuler shape. Then he took Bunny and placed the rabbit inside. He curled the sweater around Bunny's freezing form, and cradled the heap against his chest. He could feel Bunny snuggling up against the soft material. The shaking had somewhat subsided - but it wasn't enough.

Jack turned round and ran towards the door. He flung it open, and left the storage room. He began running, his bare feet pounding against the floorboards. He had to run for several minutes before he reached a familiar area of North's workshop. He must have chased Bunny last night for longer than he realised.

Jack streaked past a couple of Yetis, who shot him troubled looks.

Hiccupy wails were emitting from Bunny's small mouth. Despite Jack's best efforts, the bundle was bouncing rapidly against his arms. Poor Bunny was being tossed around, and he made a small bleating sound every time he smashed back down onto the sweater. Tears appeared in Jack's eyes at the noise - but he blinked them away determinedly. He kept running, desperate to reach his destination.

"Jack...?"

Jack looked up. Ahead of him, he could see North and Tooth staring at him through a doorframe. Tooth was floating anxiously in the corner of North's office, and the big man himself had been pacing, rubbing a handkerchief against his forehead. Now the two Guardians were staring at Jack with alarmed looks on their faces.

Jack ignored them, and streaked past the doorway. Tooth flew out of the office and out into the corridor, where she hovered, watching Jack run further down the corridor.

"JACK!" she called uselessly. She threw a concerned look at North, who returned it. Then they both began running down the corridor in desperate pursuit of their fellow guardian.

Jack kept running, Bunny's little body being thrown around violently in the pouch. Bunny barely had a chance to wail, as every time he began he was cut short as he landed once more on the sweater. His little forepaws were flapping wildly, as if they were pieces of fabric in the wind. His ears flopped across his face, and his eyes were large and terrified, small tears streaking across his face.

Then, Jack saw the door he was looking for.

He turned towards it, and flung it open. The large door groaned in protest as it smashed against the wall beside it. A gold-plated sign above the door read "Pantry." Jack rushed down the stairs that lay a few feet from the door, and entered the pantry. The room was similar to the storage room they had just come from, but it was much larger, and torches flickered on the walls. Hundreds of shelves lined the cobblestone walls, each filled with different foods; cheeses, breads, spices, vegetables, cakes, biscuits, and even several bottles of rich brandy, saved for the rarest occasions. Jack disregarded these shelves, and rushed to the center of the room.

Standing there was a wide wooden table, which was adjoined to several other kitchen counters. To the left lay a large collection containers were various grains and sauces were stacked against each other. To the right, there was a small fireplace with a chimney pipe leading into the ceiling, and the iron door was hanging open ever so slightly. On the surface of the table, several rolling pins, wax sheets, and bowls of flour lay scattered around. Jack shoved them to one side, several pieces clattering to the floor; but he didn't care. He gently lay the squirming bundle on top of the table and opened it.

Bunny lay weakly in the centre, his fur soaked from his own terrified tears. He was hiccuping meekly as he waved his paws desperately in the air. His eyes were dancing around the room as his chest fluttered up and down rapidly. Jack reached over to a rack of cleaning towels and aprons. He grabbed several of the towels and a few napkins. He gently pushed Bunny to one side of the table, leaving the middle of the table exposed. Jack hurriedly laid out the cloths, arranging them in layers. Using half of the towels, he managed to create a small, soft mattres.

He carefully reached over and picked up Bunny. Ignoring the small rabbit's cringing, Jack gently laid Bunny on the mattres. Bunny immediately gripped onto the material with his fluffy blue paws, and curled up to it. He was still sobbing profusely, and Jack fought back tears.

_"Nothing I do makes it better_," Jack took another shaky breath, and continued.

Jack took the remaining towels and gently placed them over Bunny. He put down three towels, covering Bunny's little body from his feet to his neck. The small rabbit gratefully snuggled the warm covers, but Jack still wasn't satisfied. He wouldn't be until Bunny was completely warm. His gaze found the brazier sitting next to the table. He spotted an iron bucket and spade sitting next to it. If only...

He rushed over and peered into the bucket. It was filled with several large pieces of charcoal. Jack closed his eyes and uttered a silent thank you. The spirit turned round so he was facing the fireplace. He pushed the metal door open and reached for the spade. He shovelled a couple of spadefuls into the fireplace, and then paused, hesitating. He'd never made a fire before - and he'd never wanted to. Warmth didn't appeal to him these days.

_"But I have too," _he insisted to himself. _"For Bunny,"_

Gritting his teeth in determination, he reached out for a small wicker basket filled with kindling.

Fifteen minutes later, Jack had set up the fire. It was pretty good for his first time, and he was certain it would light. There was just one problem; it wouldn't. He slashed a match across the matchbox, but it snapped and fell onto the ground. At first he hadn't been able to light the kindling; now he couldn't light the matches.

He let out a frustrated growl. The whimpering had faded slightly, but he could still hear Bunny shifting around uncomfortably, and an occasional moan drifted down from the table. Jack buried his face in his hands and choked loudly. A few tears escaped his eyes and pooled against his palm, but he hurriedly wiped them away. He breathed deeply and looked around him.

_"How am I going to do this?"_

Then he noticed the cabinet at the end of the room. Unlike the others, it had a plate of protective glass across the cabinet doors. It was none other than the brandy cabinet. A brilliant idea flashed in Jack's mind.

Alcohol was flammable, wasn't it?

Jack got to his feet and raced across the room. He opened the brandy cabinet, and pulled out the closest bottle. It was a thick one, with an unopened gold cap. Jack twisted the cap off, and discarded it on the floor. Ignoring the sickly smell of the alcohol, he rushed back to the fire place. He carefully poured the liquid onto a few of the coals, and made a wish.

He struck a match. It broke. He struck a second. It broke. Then a third. A short hiss emitted from the tip of the match, and flames leapt into existence. Without a second thought, Jack thrust the match into the fireplace.

The match struck the coals, bounced, and then, the fireplace came to life. A massive gust of fire exploded, illuminating the whole room in a violent shock of light. Heat struck Jack's face like a fist, and the young spirit let out a loud yelp of surprise as he fell backwards on the floor.

Then it was over; the fireball retracted, leaving a successful fire in the fireplace. For a second there was silence; and then a loud scream echoed out from the table. Jack scrambled to his feet, and darted over to where Bunny lay. The small creature was screaming like a young child; his limbs were flapping wildly, and his heart was fluttering in fear. When Bunny's terrified eyes found Jack's, the small rabbit desperately reached out with his small paws, trying to grasp Jack. Jack reached out with his hands, and Bunny gripped Jack's right index finger. The wailing bunny continued to scream and sob, terror visibly dancing in his eyes.

"Shhh little guy," Jack whispered. "It's alright. It's alright."

But Bunny continued to wail in terror, his paws clinging onto Jack's index finger.

"It was just a little accident Bunny," Jack promised. "But it's okay now. You're warm."

"You're warm," he repeated softly.

With his free hand, Jack gently extended his palm, and a cold chill rippled along his arm. There was a soft crackling sound, and a snowflake appeared just over Jack's hand.

A half-hearted smile played across Jack's lips. He pulled his hand away, and let the crystal float above Bunny. The effect was instantaneous. Bunny stopped wailing, and his eyes widened in wonder at the glistening snowflake above him. His ears rose up, no longer flopping on the sides of his face. His tiny paws remained latched onto Jack's index finger; however, now Jack could feel some warmth returning to them.

The snowflake slowly drifted down, until it was floating just above Bunny's face. For a few minutes Bunny just stared, with the same expression of awe and wonder. Then he let one paw leave Jack's finger. He reached up, his tiny fingers uncurling. Then he made contact with the snowflake; and it popped like a bubble.

Bunny giggled.

The high-pitched sound filled Jack's ears like music. He smiled as the little Bunny looked around, his mouth twisted in a large grin. Bunny looked at Jack, and their eyes met. Bunny's smile faded, and his big eyes filled with confusion. Jack was puzzled as to why the sudden change in mood - until he realised that tears were flowing down his ice-cold cheeks.

He hurriedly brushed them away, in fear of upsetting Bunny. Bunny was still looking at him worriedly; but it was more than that. The look on Bunny's face was that of guilt. Bunny thought it was his fault.

Jack tenderly reached out and stroked Bunnymund's forehead. He gently pushed Bunny back down into a lying position, and continued to stroke his forehead softly. Bunny let out a small, contented yawn, and closed his eyes.

His tiny paw was still gripping onto Jack's finger, and Jack sat, frozen, not daring to move in fear of waking Bunny. He felt a single tear fall down his cheek...but this one was different. This one was a tear of happiness.

**Again, sorry it was so long, but I hoped you enjoyed it! Please R&R, because I love to hear what you guys think.**

**Watch out for Chapter 3! More tears to come!**


	3. Chapter 3: Visions of The Past

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: First off - thank you for all the positive reviews I've been getting! Yay! Second off - this chapter did not turn out how I planned. In fact, this chapter contains only half of what I had planned to write for this chapter. But because I didn't want to make it boringly long, I decided to cut it short. So basically - a lot of you have been asking ****_what _****Pitch did to Bunny. I planned to write about that in this chapter, but as I said, it turned out too long to fit into one chapter. So in Chapter 4, everything shall be revealed! But this chapter is still important, so please enjoy!**

"Jack," North pleaded. "Please listen to me."

Jack continued gazing, glassy eyed at the pantry table where Bunny lay, sleeping. The towels that created his makeshift bed were messy and ruffled; the result of furious thrashing that occurred every few hours. Jack sighed, drawing his hand across his forehead.

"You have been awake for much too long," North insisted. "Five days - it is very long time."

Although Jack didn't acknowledge North's sentence, he couldn't help but agree. His eyelids felt like solid stone; he was fighting with all his might to stay awake. If he fell asleep, he might not wake up in time to comfort Bunny during his nightmares. Oh god - the nightmares. They had started a couple of weeks ago. Although little Bunny had still seemed far away, and was terrified of the smallest things, there had been some small improvements. He had begun to eat again; small spoonfuls of watery soup or plain rice. His wounds had begun to heal, and he had even tried to start hopping again. He hadn't managed the latter very well, due to a badly twisted bone in his left leg, which nobody had known about. But then the nightmares had started, and everything had gone to hell.

All the Guardians agreed it was Pitch's work; who else could have had the chance to bestow such powerful terror on Bunny? Sandy had tired his best - but not even he could help. His golden sand would fly around Bunny's head, and hope would blossom in Jack's chest. But then the golden strands would dissipate, leaving Jack helpless once more.

The nightmares themselves had a horrific effect on the tiny guardian. Bunny would wail and cry, large puddles forming around him as sheets of tears poured down his furry cheeks. He would rip at his bedding pathetically, and his limbs flailed wildly. But his eyes always remained closed - and no matter how much they tried, wether it was shaking the poor rabbit, or pouring small amounts of water on his face, they could not wake him up. The only thing they could do was wait for it to be over.

And Jack had. The past five days had been the worst; nightmares terrorised Bunny for hours on end, and Jack had sat, awake, never sleeping, trying his best to comfort the little creature. Currently, Bunny was unplagued. But who knew when it would start up again?

North's voice had turned into a faint, buzzing sound as Jack thought. It was the same series of thoughts that had been circling through his head during his sleepless nights.

_"Have to find out what they did to him...it's the only way to fix it...but how? Maybe if I was to find Pitch...no, no...fuckin' hell, I will fucking destroy you Pitch," _the cycle usually ended with him thinking of all the possible ways they could have tortured Bunny. But right now, he was thinking of how good Pitch would look with an icicle embedded through his heart.

"JACK!" North's booming voice shook Jack back into reality. He realised that he was shaking violently, and when he looked at his hands, small droplets of blood were swelling on his palm. He realised he had ripped a chunk of wood out of a nearby cabinet. Hazy particles of wood floated in the air, gleaming in the torchlight.

"Please - please Jack," North begged. The big man straightened, and took a few steps towards the door. He turned round just as he reached the doorframe. "Just - think about sleep, okay? I ask nothing more." He lingered for a second, hoping that Jack would give some sort of reaction. The winter spirit didn't. North sighed, and left the room, slowly closing the door behind him.

Jack yawned for the hundredth time, and looked at the collection of pillows and sheets that had been laid out by the fireplace for him. Right now, rest seemed like the ideal idea. But there were ideas leaping around in the back of Jack's brain...and one shone brighter than the others. Determinedly, Jack got to his feet. He walked over to where Bunny lay, and looked at the small rabbit. He was dozing peacefully, but his brows were furrowed and his paw was gripping the bedding tightly.

_"I won't have long," _Jack thought.

He carefully reached out and lay another towel over the small Guardian's form. He placed a kiss on Bunny's forehead, then turned round. He picked up his staff, and left the room.

After flying through the corridors of North's workshop silently for several minutes, Jack finally found what he was looking for. He came to a stop in front of a large window. He was hovering a few feet of the ground, so it was easy to reach out and pull the latch at the top of the window. He then pushed against the glass pane, and the window swung open with a loud creak. He slipped through, leaving it open behind him.

He sailed through the cold night air, and flew high above the clouds. He flew until the ground disappeared from view, and his only companions were the small, fluffy clouds, lazily floating across the midnight sky. But there was something else there too. The thing he had came for. Jack raised his staff in the air, and channeled his energy into it. The head of his staff burst into a frosty blue light, that cast a bright glow of pale light across the sky. If anybody had seen it from the ground, they would have claimed it was a falling star.

"HEY YOU!" he screamed. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!"

He paused, and squinted angrily at the glowing object before him. It was none other than the moon. Considering he was so high up in the atmosphere, it appeared remarkably close - like he could reach out and touch it. But that didn't concern Jack; the only thing that concerned the winter spirit at that moment was the person on the moon.

"MAN IN THE MOON!" Jack called, raising his staff higher. "HELP ME OUT HERE!"

Then he saw the beams of lunar light shift, and point at him.

_"What...do...you want?" _MiM's voice resonated softly in Jack's mind. Jack shook his head, trying to clear it. He had never actually heard MiM speak before, and hearing the Man's deep voice for the first time was surprisingly shocking. Nonetheless, Jack forged on.

"YOU KNOW WHY!" Jack shouted. "YOU'RE WATCHING ALL OF THIS!"

_"Still...make your request, Jack," _there was a slight touch of humor in MiM's voice, which only served to aggravate Jack further.

"SHOW ME WHAT HAPPENED TO BUNNYMUND!" Jack screamed furiously.

_"As you wish_," MiM said.

Jack faltered. The response was short and sweat, almost too good to be true. Surely there had to be more - a trial to win the information as a reward, or, perhaps a-. Suddenly moonlight shone brightly in Jack's face. His attempt to shield his eyes from the glare was pointless; his limbs went slack, and then he was falling...falling...falling...

And darkness engulfed him.

_**Several weeks earlier...**_

Bunnymund's fur dragged painfully across the floor. Pitch's minions carried him roughly, not bothering to avoid the bumps on the stony path. Rocks scraped against the large Pooka's back, ripping small portions of his skin. Blood was already smeared across his face, the warm liquid slowly clotting around a deep gash on his forehead. The gash had come from a spear thrown from one of Pitch's warriors. It had knocked him onto the floor, where he had struck his head hard enough to become unconscious.

A few minutes ago, he had come to. His eyes had fluttered open weakly to find himself in a bad situation. Well - that was putting it mildly. His hands and feet had been bound together by dark magic, and two of Pitch's humanoid minions were dragging him through a massive system of caves by his shoulders. He had been stripped of his weaponry belt, meaning that he had no way to defend himself except for his fists.

_"At least Frostbite's safe," _he thought. The last thing he had seen before slipping to unconsciousness was the image of Jack being pulled out of the fray by Sandy, and being spirited away to safety.

_"God bless ya, Sandy." _Bunny grunted as a painfully large rock raked along his back. He could feel a thick stream of blood pouring down his back, but he did nothing. After several more minutes, they came to a stop. He was hauled up by the two minions, and spread out across a flat stone surface. When he attempted to raise his head and looked round, a hard fist smashed into his face, sending his head crashing back down onto the stone surface. He swore loudly, and cursed at the minion.

He saw the minion's cruel features twist in a grin, and then it disappeared into the shadows.

"_Tsk, tsk_, Bunnymund," Pitch's voce echoed out across the room.

Bunny froze as Pitch emerged from the shadows, tendrils of darkness floating off of him like ink in water.

"It's not nice to be rude, is it now?" Pitch let out a small chuckle. The spirit of nightmares glided over to the trapped Guardian. He smiled as he looked the Pooka over. Then his lips twisted into a particularly nasty grin. He reached out and flicked a leaf off of Bunnymund's face.

"This'll be fun, won't it _Bunny_?" Pitch spat on Bunny's chest as he pronounced the Guardian's name.

"What are you going to do to me?" Bunny said through gritted teeth.

Pitch laughed loudly for several minutes, before shooting Bunny a malicious look.

"Don't worry - it will be most...painful," Pitch purred. He twirled his fingers, and dark tendrils swirled playfully in his palms. They swirled around each other, combining to create one form. After a few seconds, a small, black horse with fiery red eyes flew around Pitch's hand.

"I won't tell you anything," Bunny said, his jawline hardening.

This time Pitch let out a massive roar of laughter, that echoed across the room. Bunnymund could also hear others snickering in the depths of the shadows.

"Oh but Bunny - you misunderstand me!" Pitch retracted his fingers suddenly, crushing the small horse violently. He spun round, his mouth set in a frightening snarl. "I'm going to destroy you."

Bunnymund's eyes widened in a mixture of fear and uncertainty.

Pitch chuckled, his snarling features slowly returning to a more self-centered grin. He casually walked over to a stone pedestal that sat parallel to where Bunnymund lay helpless. Bunnymund could vaguely make out the shapes of several tools scattered across the pedestal. Pitch plucked one of them up, and held it up to the dim light that filled the centre of the room from the ceiling. The tool turned out to be a wickedly sharp throwing knife, decorated with blood-red rubies across the hilt and blade.

"So..." Pitch paused. "Where to begin?"

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you got annoyed by the cliff-hanger end of the chapter, I'm sorry :( But the next chapter is going to reveal everything about the pain that Bunny went through. Please R&R, and watch out for the next Chapter! **

**~FeastOnTheMind**

**(P.S. I did take some liberates with the Man In The Moon and how his magic works, but I thought it was worth the sacrifice so the rest of the story could fit together nicely.) **


	4. Chapter 4: I'm Going To Make You Watch

**WARNING: This chapter involves themes of torture, brutality, murder and gore. I actually had to spend a good deal of time re-writing it because the original version was too violent. I don't want to scare you guys away; but I do think you deserve a fair warning. Also, if you do read the whole thing, please review it. When I re-wrote it, I tuned down a lot of the descriptions, and I felt like it lost some of it's emotion (mainly sympathy and pain for Bunny). I'd be interested to know if you guys still think it has a good level of emotional value.**

_Continued from Chapter 3.._

"So…" Pitch grinned maliciously. "Where to begin?"

He gracefully spun round, and approached Bunnymund, knife in hand. Bunnymund threw the evil spirit a filthy look. Pitch waved his finger in the air like he was scolding a child.

"Now, now Bunny," he said. "There's no time for that."

Pitch chuckled again. He was in a _very _good mood today. He extended his finger, and pointed it at Bunnymund. Suddenly, dark tendrils lashed out, attacking Bunnymund's limbs. The Pooka tried to resist, but there was no point. Bunnymund gritted his teeth as his arms and legs were splayed open. The bonds around his wrists and ankles broke, but within seconds they had returned. However, instead of being strapped together, his limbs were now fastened down on the edges of the stone table. Bunnymund glared at Pitch.

"Whadda ya goin' to do, Pitchy?" he sneered. "You gonna cut me open?"

Pitch smiled, and leaned closer, so his snake-like lips were next to Bunnymund's ear.

"Oh no, Bunny," he whispered gleefully. "I'm going to make you watch."

Bunnymund's blood ran cold. Watch? Watch what? Suddenly he felt Pitch's skeletal fingers clasp around his head. Pitch forced Bunny's head to turn to the left, so his cheek was pressed against the cold stone of the table. Bunnymund closed his eyes, preparing himself for what was to come next.

"Open your eyes, Bunnymund," Pitch demanded. His fingers prodded at the Guardian's eyelids. Annoyed, Bunnymund's eyes snapped open, an insult on his tongue. Then he froze. It felt like all the blood inside of him had frozen into solid ice. Standing a few meters away from the table he lay on, his clothes ripped and his hair mangled, was Jamie.

"J-Jamie?" it barely came out as a whisper.

Then he heard the sound of something whizzing through the air. He heard Jamie yelp in pain - and saw the iron blade Pitch had been holding appear in the centre of Jamie's chest. Blood spouted out in rapid waves, splattering down onto the floor.

"B-Bun-bunny," blood dribbled down Jamie's chin. Then the boy crumpled onto the floor, his head smashing down onto the ruined stone slabs with a sickening _thud_.

Bunnymund lay, frozen in horror. Then something in his mind came to life, and he screamed as loud as he could.

"JAMIE!" he called desperately to the broken form on the ground. "JAMIE! PLEASE, OH JESUS, JAMIE!"

Pitch smiled in eager delight at the Pooka's pain.

_"It's sad," _Pitch thought to himself. _"He doesn't realise they're just illusions." _

And indeed rhey were. As Bunny turned his head to take out his anger on Pitch, Jamie's body disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. But of course Bunnymund didn't see.

"YOU MONSTER," he yelled at Pitch. "YOU FUCKING ANIMAL."

"Now, now Bunny," Pitch repeated. "There's no time for that."

He walked over to the pedestal once more, and picked up another wickedly curved knife. He walked over to Bunny, and ran the blade over the Pooka's face gently, snipping a few white hairs off in the process.

"Such a shame - he was such a nice boy," Pitch grinned. "And to think he died for nothing."

"WHAT?!" Bunny's pure disbelief was written clearly on his face.

"But surely you understand," Pitch pretended to be shocked. "The deaths of the children can't hurt you…at least, not yet."

Then Pitch lashed out with his hand, and gripped Bunny's shoulder fur. He raised the blade, and brought it down on Bunny's arm. Bunnymund barley had time to shout out as the sharp blade cut through his fur - ripping the black tattoo-like marks straight of his biceps. White hot pain shot along the length of his arm, numbing him completely. Bunnymund had never felt pain like this. He screamed in protest as Pitch reached over and sliced off his other tattoos.

The Pooka could barely speak as Pitch cleaned the blade of hair. Then he spun it between his fingers.

"Those were your wards - but now that they're gone...," he grinned. "Let's continue."

Then he threw the knife. It sliced through the air, and Bunnymund watched, helpless as the knife embedded itself in another child's skin. He couldn't see the victim's face, because his hair hung too low. But he watched as the body fell to the floor, blood beginning to expand around the lifeless form. Then suddenly, a violent wave of pain rocked through Bunnymund's chest. It was like somebody had knocked the wind out of him. After a few more seconds, it subsided. But he knew what it was. He'd felt it before - when Pitch had crushed the children's belief in Easter. Pitch was going to transform Bunny into his tiny form.

"_And trap him there_," Pitch thought to himself coincidentally, as he picked up a third knife from the pedestal.

The killing went on for another hour. Pitch conjured the illusions of the children, and killed them in front of Bunnymund. Each time, Bunnymund grew weaker. He could feel his strength failing him - his head was pulsing in pain, and thirst clawed at his dry throat. He had given up fighting; he was too weak for that now. He had tried to look away and ignore the sounds of the dying children; but he couldn't. Now, he could do nothing but stare emptily. But then it changed. Pitch smiled wickedly, and summoned the final illusion child. Bunnymund had a few seconds to see her beautiful golden locks, her small, impish face, before she screamed out in pain, and fell backwards onto the ground.

"No…," Bunnymund choked. "Pitch…no…"

He looked at the broken body he thought had once been Sophie. Pain began to fill his chest like water, and it spread across his body. He tried to scream, but it was no use. The blinding pain engulfed him, and he passed out.

Pitch smiled. He watched as Bunnymund's fur began to shift and spin across the Pooka's body. Then he turned around, and left.

**_The Next Day..._**

Bunnymund woke up, staring up at the ceiling of the cave. He cursed silently. So it was real. It wasn't just a nightmare. He shakily raised himself up, and was surprised to find his paws unbound.

Then he froze.

His...paws. He noticed it immediately. His fluffy blue paws were tiny. He managed to stand, and looked around. The stone table had tripled in size, and the pedestal that hosted the throwing knives had become much smaller.

"Oh no..." Images from the previous night came flooding back to the tiny Guardian. Memories of Pitch's evil laughter, the knives whizzing through the air...the thick layers of blood sloshing across the cobblestone ground.

"Oh! Jack!"

Bunny spun round, and found himself facing Pitch, who was casually sitting on a wooden stool. He seemed generically pleased. He stood up, and dusted his hands off on his dark garments.

"I'm so glad you're awake!" Pitch smiled devilishly. "Now we can resume!"

Bunny snarled, but in his tiny form it came out as a small squeak. "If ya so much as think about doin' any of tha-"

Bunny was silenced as he suddenly felt Pitch's fist close around his ears. He was hoisted into the air, and he dangled there, desperately clawing at Pitch's fingers. To his embarrassment, he was squealing loudly, pain shooting through his skull as his ears carried the rest of his body.

"You are in no position to give threats, _Bunny_" Pitch snarled. They were face to face, and Pitch's menacing eyes glared at Bunny's. Pitch raised his fingers and snapped them twice. "Minions!"

Through half-open eyelids, the flailing Bunny saw two shadow minions materialize next to their master, tendrils of darkness floating off their shoulders.

"Ready the machinery," Pitch said simply. Then he lifted Bunny up into the air, and using Bunny's ears as leverage, he thrust the tiny animal onto the table, where he landed in a befuddled heap. Bunnymund desperately tried to scramble away, but then he felt a strong hand clamp around his leg.

"Where do you think you're going," the minion hissed.

In a last ditch attempt, Bunny tried to kick the minion's hand away. He succeeded in prying his foot loose from the minion's grasp, and for a few seconds he believed he might actually have a chance. But then he felt the minion's skeletal hand grab his foot, and twist.

Bunny heard a loud crack, and almost immediately after he felt blinding pain shoot through his ankle up to his thigh. He weakly flopped down onto the table.

The minion dragged Bunny towards him roughly, still gripping onto Bunny's disabled foot. He tightened his grip, and raised the tiny rabbit into the air. Bunny keened loudly, and let out several gasps of pain as the minion shook him violently.

"Not so eager to get away with a broken foot, are you now?" the minion cackled. He dropped Bunny back down on the table, where the Guardian collected in a heap. He moaned softly, tears of pain forming in his eyes. After a few minutes, he felt himself being lifted up again. He was carelessly discarded in a metal contraption. It was about the size of a shoe box, and just large enough to fit the blue rabbit.

He felt something cold and hard clamp onto each of his ears. Then he felt a similar action around his feet. In a daze of heat and pain, he did not realize what was going on until the last moment.

"Alright, pull the wheel," one of the minions commanded.

The other minion began rotating an iron lever that was attached to a large bronze cogwheel. Bunnymund felt the iron clamps around his ears and feet tighten, and then he began to stretch.

His eyes snapped open in fear as he realized what was happening. The device he was placed in continued to stretch him out, just like the machinery used in medieval times.

He screamed as he felt skin rip around his ears, and hot blood flow down his face in separate streams. His screams were blood-curdling, and lasted for days as Pitch's minions continued to torture him.

For days, the torturing continued. They stabbed him with needles that painlessly slid through the skin, but then punctured small veins, causing swelling across the pitiful Guardian's body. They whipped his back with a small belt soaked and dried in alcohol. They would let the cuts scab over, before ripping them open with knives. After the first two days, blood covered the stone table like a thick, red velvet dining cloth.

When Bunny wasn't being tortured, he was kept in an iron cage. He had no bedding, and when he could, he was forced to sleep on the cold stone floor. If they brought him food, the water was salted and the food was spiced with a substance that set Bunny's insides on fire.

Some days were worse than others. Days like when they brought out the brass machine they used to stretch out little Bunny's body. Or the days when they stabbed tiny, pin-point knives through Bunny's cheeks, creating small holes that bled profusely.

Bunny's fur became matted with thick blood, and his eyes were glazed with terror and grief. Whatever fighting spirit he had had left in him, had been broken. But Pitch wasn't content - not yet.

The beatings began on the sixth day.

Gripped by his ears, Bunny's pathetic little body would be dragged or carried out to an open area just left of the cobblestone table. There, he was dropped painfully onto the ground, where five minions would stand around him. Then, they would begin to hit him. They hit hard; with their feet and with their hands. Because of how small Bunny was, and how many minions there were, not a single part of Bunny's body was left unscathed. They particularly enjoyed smashing at his face with the tips of their iron-clad feet, and punching him in his gut.

He endured all of it; but he cried. Constantly. He weeped, hiccuped, and screamed as they beat him for hours on end. Eventually, they would leave, and retreat into the shadows. Bunny would lay there, shaking in pain and dripping in blood, to weak to move.

By the eighth day - the old Bunnymund had nearly disappeared completely. In his place, was a broken, empty shell that could not stop shaking and would not eat anything.

He was so close to death. But Pitch kept him alive. Pitch didn't want to kill him; only to make him suffer. To send a message back to the Guardians.

On the ninth day, after a particularly violent beating, Pitch interrupted the five minions. He looked down at the half-dead Bunny, who was moaning softly on the floor. A wicked smile danced across his face. He pointed at one of the minions, and beckoned him forward. The minion came up and stood by Pitch's side. Pitch made the others leave, and they willingly obeyed. Once they were gone, he turned to the minion. Then he pointed at Bunny.

"It's time for you to have some fun, Minion," Pitch grinned. "Go ahead, he's all yours."

**Sorry for another cliffhanger! I just couldn't get everything into this chapter. But the story will pick up directly afterwards in Chapter 5, and that should be out fairly soon. Please R&R if you enjoyed it (or if you didn't).**


	5. Chapter 5: Empty

**WARNING: Contains Graphic Rape & Brutality. Do not read if you are uncomfortable with these subjects. **

_Continued from Chapter 4..._

Pitch smirked slightly, and smiled at the broken form of little Bunny. He then returned his gaze to his minion.

"Don't let me keep you waiting," he said cheerfully. Then he turned round, and gracefully slid back into the shadows.

Bunny had distantly heard a small portion of the conversation; but barely enough to get his attention. His body was on fire, heat running through his veins. His chest was heaving in shaky breaths, and blood dribbled from his nose and mouth onto the dirty stone slabs that made up the floor. He was panting pathetically, deliriously trying to form words. But the ability to talk had nearly left him; and he could only form a few indecipherable mumbles.

His foot was still broken, and it throbbed painfully. The rest of his body wasn't any better; cuts, scars, and half-healed lines of slit flesh decorated the tiny Guardian's furry body. Bunny's tiny little fingers were ripped and mangled from being repeatedly stepped on, and now they were curled unnaturally in Bunny's palm; likely from some form of nerve damage.

Tears were slowly sliding down the small Pooka's cheeks, like they had been for the past week. His left ear drooped over his forehead, while his right was splayed out across the floor.

Bunny was lying on his right side in a confused heap. Despite the starvation and constant physical exhaustion, Bunny hadn't lost any weight; and the tiny rabbit's chubby body resembled a pillow that had been torn to shreds by an animal.

The minion grinned, and approached the half-dead form. He knelt down to the left of Bunny, and regarded the tiny animal. Then, he reached out with a skeletal finger and stroked Bunny's cheek.

The Pooka reacted violently; he squealed and flailed his limbs wildly in fear. He attempted to beat the minion's finger away, but to no avail. Angered, the minion jammed his finger into Bunny's neck. Bunny's squeals died in his throat as his body jolted in pain. He was left struggling for breath as the minion pressed the tip of his finger under Bunny's chin.

"Don't you dare fucking do that again," the minion growled. "Do you understand me, you runt?"

Bunny couldn't reply; he just lay there gasping for air.

"I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?" the minion shouted. His yellow eyes glowed in front of Bunny's face, and terror shot through the little rabbit's body.

Bunny managed a feeble nod.

The minion withdrew his finger with a smug look on his face.

"Good, good," he said maliciously. Then he stood, and for a few minutes, there was silence. There was some shuffling, then Bunny felt the minion's corpse-like hands slide under his arms from behind. The long fingers gripped around little Bunny's waist, and hoisted him up in the air. Bunny let out a whimper of pain.

Weakly, Bunny turned his head to look at where he was being taken. Then his green eyes widened in fear.

He could now see that the minion had seated himself next to one of the may large rocks that dotted the cave. He was lifting Bunny up, so that the tiny rabbit dangled above the minion's waist. But that was where Bunny's fear was coming from. The small guardian could see the minion's fully erect cock standing up in anticipation.

Some primeval instinct triggered in the back of Bunny's mind. He started to thrash desperately. The minion didn't mind; he let out a loud chuckle at the Pooka's panic.

"N'aww don't worry, runt," the minion mocked in a babyish voice.

Bunny felt himself being slowly lowered downwards. His thrashing became more desperate, and his furry little paws desperately pulled at the minion's fingers. But it was no use. Terrified, little Bunny willed whatever voice he had left to surface.

"P-PW," he stuttered in his squeaky voice. He could feel himself coming closer and closer to the minion. He began to shake violently. "PWA-PWEE-PWEA!"

His desperate yelps caused the minion to pause in amusement. He leaned forward, so his ear was next to Bunny's. His long, serpentine tongue slid out and licked the side of Bunny's face.

"What's wrong, bun-bun?" he taunted. "What do you want to say?"

The minion slid one of his hands down to Bunny's cotton-ball tail, and pulled, hard.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY?!"

"PWEASE!," Bunny screamed. "PWEASEEEEE! PW-PWEASEEEE!"

The minion let out a roar of laughter.

"You pathetic fucker," he snarled. Then he plunged Bunny down.

His cock penetrated the tiny animal violently, and Bunny screamed as loud as he possibly could. Hot blood seeped out from his behind in thick trickles and ran down the length of the minion. The minion cooed in delight.

"Mmmh…" he moaned. "That's so good."

"P-P-PW-WE," Bunny struggled to form words as blinding pain coursed through him. He lamely tried to reach down with his hands and pry himself off.

"Now, now, none of that," the minion grabbed Bunny's arms and twisted them upwards, pressing them against Bunny's upper back. Bunny let out a yelp of pain, and tears began to flow down his cheeks. Then he felt the minion shift underneath him. He felt the minion's cock begin to slowly move. His eyes widened in fear once more. In desperation, he tried once more to talk.

"Pw-pw-pweeese," he begged. "Pww-pweese, pweese, pweese, pweese wop."

Then he realised he'd said "_stop_" wrong. Sobbing, he tried to fix it.

"Wop…swop…pw-waeese swop," he cried out. "Pweese swob, pw-pwease wop, n-n-n-ooooh,"

He yelped as he felt the minion slowly begin to thrust into him. Every millimetre of movement caused pain to shoot up his spine.

"PWEASE! PWEASE WOP! P-PWEA-," then he screamed. The minion had begun to thrust with increasing speed; and mercilessly. "N-N-OOH-N-N…PWEASE SWOP…N-NO-N, PA-PWEESE WOP! PWEE-PWEA-PWE-PWE-PWEASE SWOP! PWEASE SWOP!"

The minion was thrusting rapidly now, having found a comfortable speed. Considering he didn't feel much pain, the speed was rapid, and his cock was soaked in Bunny's blood. Bunny continued to scream and sob, continuously shouting the same thing.

"PWEASSEEE SWOP! PWEEEA-PWEASSEE SWOB! PWEASE! PWEASE! PWEASE SWOP! N-NO, PWEEASE SWOP!" Bunny cried.

The pain welling in his backside was too extreme; like he was sitting on a bed of hot coals. The minion was groaning, his climax fast approaching. Then Bunny acted. Without thinking, he lashed out and bit one of the minion's fingers. Blood welled in between Bunny's teeth, and the minion let out a scream of pain. The minion let go of Bunny for a second, and Bunny pushed himself off. The tiny creature tumbled down onto the ground, and landed face-first on the ground. Ignoring the pain on his newly-bruised face, he scrambled forward, trying to escape. But his foot dragged on the floor and smacked against it painfully. Wet blood matted his feet, and he slipped every few seconds.

Then a massive roar echoed out from behind him. He heard a large crashing noise, then shadowy fingers gripped his neck. He was flipped over, crashing into the ground on his back. Above him was the minion. The creature's face was furious, his eyes ablaze with fire.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DO THAT TO ME, YOU CUNT," he screamed.

"PWEASE, N-N-O MWA-PWEA," Bunny tried to pull the minion's fingers off his throat.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP. YOU'RE DONE TALKING," then the minion wrapped his fingers entirely around Bunny's neck, and squeezed.

Bunny's eyes widened in terror as it became more difficult to breath. His tiny limbs thrashed around wildly as his airways were crushed under the minion's grip. After ten seconds, there was barely a hint of air in Bunny's tiny lungs. Then he was drowning. Drowning in a room full of air. The tiny creature couldn't make a sound. Blackness began to cloud his vision, and his eyes closed.

A few seconds later, they were open again. The hands around his throat were gone, but the minion was still above him. Bunny could feel the pain ricocheting across his bones, and wanted to scream once more. But all he could manage were silent tears.

Bunny's voice had been crushed out of him.

What seemed like an eternity later, the minion finished. He emptied himself within Bunny, then withdrew into the shadows. Bunny lay there, broken, bleeding - and mutilated at a level that went beyond physical hurt. He lay, hiccupping loudly as his tears joined the array of other liquids that littered the floor. His eyes were stretched wide in nameless horror, and everything that had once been E. Aster Bunnymund, was gone.

Jack's eyes slowly opened. He was staring up at the moon - and he knew that it was staring back down at him. Jack slowly raised himself up, and suddenly realised he wasn't in the air anymore. He was sitting in the snow, in the imprint of his own body.

_"I must have fallen_," Jack thought. He shakily stood, and leaned against his staff.

Then it all came rushing back. Tears exploded from Jack's eyes, and they drenched his face.

"Oh Bunny," Jack sobbed. "I'm so fucking sorry."

The winter spirit stayed that way for several hours, alone with only the snow and the frightening image of Bunny's empty eyes for company.

**Please R&R - Chapter 6 will be up soon, which will be a lot less violent and heart wrenching (well, I can't promise the latter, but we'll see). **


	6. Chapter 6: A Bath

**This chapter is filled with cuteness and fluffiness! So enjoy how cuddly it is! **

* * *

Jack's eyes fluttered open weakly. Dazed, he blinked the fuzziness filling his vision away. The winter spirit became aware of a tugging feeling on his thumb. He shook his head once, and then looked around him. He found that he was lying on his sleeping mat in the pantry. It was warm and cozy; a small fire flickering in the fireplace. Shadows danced across the neatly-cut cobblestone walls, illuminating the pots, jars, and pans strewn across the room.

Then Jack's eyes fell on the sight of a fluffy blue bunny crouching by his hand.

"B-Bunny?" Jack muttered.

His vision cleared, and he saw the tiny Guardian desperately pulling at his thumb. His face was contorted in determination, his ears flopping backwards, and his eyebrows furrowed. His two small paws were clamped onto Jack's thumb, and he was tugging repeatedly. Jack hurriedly raised himself up onto his elbow.

"Hey…hey buddy," he said worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Horrific memories were still fresh in his mind from the vision MiM had given him the previous night, but he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand.

Bunny's head snapped up and looked at Jack. The little Bunny dropped Jack's thumb, and his little face lit up with joy. A small smile danced across Jack's face. His smile widened into a grin as Bunny's ears stood on end in excitement.

"Hey little guy," Jack said wearily. "How did you get down from you-"

He was interrupted as Bunny ran towards him in excitement. The little bunny's feet carried the rest of his body unsteadily, and the chubby bunny's form wobbled awkwardly. But that wouldn't stop Bunny. He ran up to Jack's head, so they were face-to-face. He placed a small, fluffy white paw on Jack's cheek, and opened his mouth.

"Ack!" Bunnymund declared triumphantly.

"Wh-what?" Jack mumbled.

Bunny's eyes widened in confusion. He dropped his paw from Jack's cheek and plopped himself down on the cold floor, disgruntled. His ears drooped, and his shoulders sagged with them. His paws loosely rested against his lap as the tiny rabbit hiccuped in distress and tears welled in his bright green eyes.

"Aww Bunny," Jack hurriedly moved into a sitting position. "It's okay."

He reached out with his hand and stroked Bunny's head gently. But the little Guardian simply rolled away from him, small tears forming below his eyes.

Jack gently pushed little Bunny back into a sitting position. The bunny sat, his whole body sagging.

"C'mon Bunny," Jack whispered softly. "Why don't you try again?"

Bunny sniffed a few times and looked up at Jack. His large, watery eyes met Jack's, and Jack smiled. Little Bunny's mouth quivered slightly, and then very slowly and very awkwardly, his lips extended into a lopsided smile.

The sight of the broken Guardian smiling was enough to make Jack's chest fill with warmth, and the winter spirit grinned. After a few moments of silence, he nodded towards Bunny.

Encouraged, little Bunny collected himself, and stood up once more. He shifted his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot for a few seconds, then looked back up at Jack. He opened his mouth, and for a few more seconds he said nothing. Then…

"Ack…" the first attempt faded in Bunny's throat, and Jack could see the tears returning.

"No, no, it was good! Keep trying Bunny," Jack said.

The small creature took a shaky breath, and tried again.

* * *

It took several more attempts, but finally Bunny managed to form the word he was looking for.

Leaning back on his hind legs, he happily announced "Wack!"

Jack blinked, showing no immediate emotion, in case he upset the little guardian. He waited to see if Bunny would realise he had made a mistake and change it, but when he didn't, Jack's mind began to race.

_"Wack…Wack…what does he mean?" _Jack thought to himself. _"Wack…Wack…c'mon Jac-"_

Then it hit him.

_"Jack" _he realised. _"Wack…"_

Pure delight filled Jack's chest, warmth spreading across his body. Bunny was trying to say _his _name; which meant Bunny remembered him. Which meant Bunny was still in there, _somewhere._ Jack returned his gaze to the little creature and grinned again.

"Yes buddy, Wack," Jack said, his chest about to burst with happiness. Bunny's face lit up and he let out a high-pitched giggle. The little rabbit spun round, gleefully hopping across the ground.

"Wack! Wack! Wack!" Bunnymund repeated. The little guardian spun in happy circles, waving his arms around like an excited child. Jack was laughing now, the sight of Bunny's joy wiping away some of the pain from the past few days.

Bunny pranced around for a few more minutes, and then he stopped. Happily, he turned back round to face Jack. The excited little bunny bounced over to where Jack sat, and hesitated. Jack stayed very still as little Bunny began to awkwardly clamber over his crossed legs. The tiny rabbit stumbled a couple of times, but Jack reached out with his finger, and Bunny gripped it for support as he hoisted his plump little body into Jack's lap. He looked up at Jack, who was smiling back quizzically.

Then the little rabbit leaned forward and hugged Jack, snuggling against his belly. His little arms barely made it near Jack's hips, but the pure love in Bunny's gesture filled Jack with life; a feeling that had realised, had faded away from him. Jack wrapped his arms around the little Guardian, and held him tight. Bunny sighed happily, nuzzling Jack's stomach.

After what seemed like a long time, the two pulled apart. Jack cocked his head and looked at Bunny, who was fumbling with a loose strand of blue cotton from Jack's sweater. Jack observed the dried dirt that was smeared across Bunny's small form, as well as the faint stains of blood.

"I think…" Jack paused. "You need a bath."

Bunny's head snapped up, a suspicious look on his face. "Baff?" he said.

_"Maybe not just a bath…_" Jack thought, remembering the brutal moment Bunny's leg being snapped. _"I wonder if he's feeling any real pain?" _

"Wack?" Bunny asked anxiously. "Baff?"

_"Nevermind that - I'll find out later," _Jack thought. He returned his gaze to the plump little rabbit in front of him.

"Yes, Bunny," he replied. "A baff."

He then promptly but carefully hoisted the little fur ball into his arms. Bunny didn't protest, but stared around mistrustfully.

"Baff…" he muttered.

Jack smiled slyly as he walked over to a basin that sat on the other end of the pantry. He reached out, and gripped the tap nozzle. He turned the bronze wheel, and water sprung out, sloshing to the bottom of the basin. Bunny's eyes widened in amazement as the warm water gushed out of the tap, swirling tendrils of hot water vapour dancing in the air.

"Now watch this," Jack grinned. He reached out to a small ceramic bottle that sat next to the sink. He popped the lid off, and tipped the contents into the basin. The thick liquid soap slid down into the bronze sink, where promptly, bubbles began to roll off the steamy water.

Bunny squealed in delight.

He pointed at the bubbles with a chubby forepaw, and looked up at Jack.

"Wack!" he grinned. "Wack!"

Jack gently but Bunny down on the marble counter next to the sink. Bunny scrambled over to the edge of the basin and stared down into the brewing mass of soap below. A stray bubble floated by his mouth, and he nipped out, grabbing it in his mouth.

It popped on his tongue, and the little Bunny let out a disgusted whine. He then proceeded to stick out his little tongue and paw at it furiously with his hands, trying to wipe the soap off. Jack laughed as he turned off the tap.

"Come on little guy," Jack grinned. He slipped his hands under Bunny's arms, and lifted the rabbit up again. "Time for a clean-up." He moved Bunny so that the little blue Guardian was dangling over the sink. Bunny's happy face turned into a look of pure shock as he stared down at the water below him. He then returned his gaze to Jack, where there eyes met.

Jack wore a lop-sided grin, his eyes dancing mischievously. Little Bunny began furiously shaking his head. His paws pounded weakly at Jack's fingers.

"N-noo-nooooh Wack," Bunny pleaded. "N-n-noo-nooooo baff,"

Jack let out a small chuckle. Despite Bunny's desperate begging, Jack could see that it was different from before. This time, it wasn't from fear or pain. No, this time - well, it was simply a child complaining!

Jack laughed loudly as he realised that Bunny was simply being a little boy who didn't want to have a bath.

"Waack!" Bunny said fearfully. "Pwease Wack, n-noo baff,"

"I'm sorry little fella," Jack said, "But you're all grubby."

"Noooo! Nooo baff!" Bunny flailed his little legs uselessly.

Then Jack smiled at Bunny, and let go.

With a desperate cry of "WAAAAAACK!" Bunny splashed into the water below.

He floundered, then came up gasping for air. Terrified and confused, the little creature awkwardly ran through the water, and began banging on the side of the bronze basin, letting out loud whimpers of fear.

_"No…god no," _Jack pleaded. _"Not this again!"_

Bunny's tiny blue paws echoed weakly across the basin, but the Bunny was going nowhere, and now tears were beginning to run down his furry cheeks.

Desperately, Jack did the first thing that came to mind. He reached out with a finger and slid it under Bunny's chin. He then scratched him on his neck.

Bunny stopped wailing, and his ears drooped against the back of his head happily. His little dark blue nose wiggled in delight, and his foot began to churn the water as he thumped the bottom of the basin. As he did so, more bubbles streaked into the air. Bunny's eyes widened in joy, and he ran towards them. He reached out with his little hands, and did his best to pop all of them.

_"Just like a small child," _Jack thought.

The tears had disappeared, and for another hour Bunny frolicked in the water, chasing bubbles and hiding under mounds of foam, while Jack watched contentedly.

That was the first time that Jack felt like everything might get better.

* * *

Eventually, Jack hoisted a protesting Bunny out of the water. He used a tea towel to dry the childish little animal, who let out frequent sighs and complaints during the drying. By the end of it, Bunny's blue fur was big and puffy, which made the little Bunny look like a slightly over-packed stick of cotton candy. Mixed with a ridiculously indignant face, where Bunny's eyes were squinted, his brows furrowed and his mouth set in an angry line, it was a truly comedic sight to behold.

Jack then took Bunny over to a different part of a pantry, where had had stored some medical supplies he had found throughout North's workshop. There, he lay a protestant Bunny down on a bread board, and patched him up. It was painful work, as Bunny began screaming and thrashing. With dull tears in his eyes, Jack tried to make the process as painless as possible for the little guardian.

* * *

As Jack bandaged Bunny's leg, Bunny screamed at the top of his lungs, when Jack tenderly applied disinfectant to the torn skin around Bunny's ears, the little rabbit squealed in pain. Then, when Jack had performed the last task, of slowly and pitifully cleaning and bandaging Bunny's behind from the sexual abuse the little rabbit had received, Bunny had shakily stood up, and looked at him. The look that greeted him was something that would plague Jack for weeks to come.

It was a gaze of sorrow, fear, and pure pain. But above all else, it was a gaze of betrayal, asking _"Why did you do this too me?" _

Jack watched as Bunny pathetically slunk away, dragging his injured foot behind him. He awkwardly hopped down from the table onto a stack of boxes, but he lost his footing and slipped. The blue bunny went crashing down onto the cold, hard ground below him.

He was too weak to make a noise.

Instead, he miserably got to his feet, and left the room without looking back.

Only then did Jack cry.

He cried and cried for hours, sitting in the same place. When he finally went back into the main room, and lay down on his mattress by the fire, he continued to cry into the night.

But still, he cried softly so as not to wake Bunny.

* * *

Sometime in the early morning, Jack was woken up. He felt a tugging sensation on his thumb. He opened his eyes fully, and the sight of a blue bunny furiously tugging at his thumb greeted him.

Jack sniffed dejectedly. "Bunny?"

Bunny's head snapped up and their eyes met. But only for second, because Bunny bowed his head shamefully and looked away.

"Bunny, what's wrong?"

Cautiously, the little rabbit stumbled over to Jack. Embarrassed, he looked up at Jack. They were face to face, and Jack could see Bunny's nose quivering adorably.

"W-Wack?" Bunny mumbled.

"Yeah buddy?"

"Mwe…" Bunny took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Mwe…mwe sowwy."

Then the tears came, fresh and steady. Jack blinked his eyes in confusion.

"Mweh, mweh sowwy, mwe, mwe no-nooo baff, a-an, mw-" he sobbed.

Jack cut the Bunny off by embracing the little animal in a warm hug. Bunny sobbed softly into the fold of Jack's clothes, but he also wrapped his arm's around Jack's bicep.

"Shhh little guy," Jack whispered. "It's not your fault."

After a while, Bunny stopped crying, and he fell asleep against Jack's chest. Cradling him, the winter spirit let out a small sigh of happiness.

There was still hope.

* * *

**So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed it, because I certainly did. Sorry for not updating; school work caught up with me. Please R&R to let me know what you think! There's only a few more heart-wrenching/sobworthy/cuddly chapters to go :( So look out for those! **

**~FOM**


	7. Chapter 7: Hidden Deep Within

**This is the second last chapter of this story - Chapter 8 will be the FINAL chapter of I'm Broken Without You. I hope you enjoy this build up chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"This is wonderful!" North exclaimed, slapping the leather book with his knuckles. "This is truly fantastic!"

Jack grinned. It was fantastic.

North leaned forward in his office chair, and placed his elbows on the desk, holding the little brown book aloft. He turned through a few more pages, before looking back up at the expectant winter spirit.

"If it is all true," North chortled "Then it is break-through!"

"Well, all of it's true, so yeah, I guess it is an improvement," Jack said, re-taking his seat in front of North.

"Improvement? More than improvement!" North leaned forward, gently placing the book on his oak desk. "Jack, do you realise what this means?"

Jack remained silent.

"It means Bunny is still alive! He still lives within that broken body!" North took Jack's hands in his. "It means there still is hope."

Jack smiled again, his eyes pricking with happy tears. It _was _true; there was hope. The little leather book that sat between them contained journal entries from the past few weeks. It had been exactly four months since they had found Bunny; and three months since Bunny had begun to talk again.

Now, things were miraculously different. Bunny was laughing on a regular basis, his eyes always filled with joy. On the occasions he did cry, snuggling against Jack's chest or nibbling on a candied carrot quietened him down, and afterwards he returned to his happy-go-lucky self.

Although he still talked like a baby learning to speak, he was now forming small sentences, and had managed to say twenty extra words. Jack had marked down each one in the little book, writing both the word and the way Bunny pronounced it:

Jack: _Wack_

Bath: _Baff_

Please: _Pwease_

Pooka: _Pwooka _

No: _N-oh_

Yes: _Wes _

Carrot: _Cwawot_

Icicle: _Whycycle _

The list went on, an abundance of "w"s and "o"s, but that didn't matter. He could now vaguely communicate with the guardians. However, excluding Jack, the little furball was very shy and often hid behind Jack when Tooth or Sandy came to visit.

But one of the best improvements was something that always made Jack happy: Bunny had remembered how to play. They enjoyed many small games, a personal favourite of Bunny's being a modified version of "Peek-A-Boo". Bunny would sit in the middle of a table, and Jack would crouch down under the table.

The little Pooka would become genuinely confused, until Jack popped up on one side of the table, hands covering his face, and shout "Peek-A-Boo!"

This would send Bunny into a fit of giggles and squeals, and he would roll around laughing as Jack continuously popped up from different sides. The little bunny had even tried it himself, clumsily shouting "Puck-A-Boo!"

_"Puck-A-Boo'…I must remember to write that one down," _Jack thought absent mindlessly.

"Jack…" North stood, and walked over to a window that over looked the sloping hills of snow outside. "I think…I think it is time for him to see home."

"What?" Jack asked, cocking his head to the side.

"The Warren," North explained. "It is his true home. Mayhaps, it will call the real Bunny back."

Jack nodded slowly. "Okay Mr. N."

"Good, goode. We will leave tomorrow morning," North sighed.

"Okay, I'll get Bunny ready," Jack picked up his staff and left for the pantry.

* * *

The four guardians entered the Warren quietly. Their feet padded silently against the lush grass as they passed the mossy stone egg statues. Their dead, silent eyes stare vacantly across the Warren. Everything was unnaturally quiet, and Jack forced the impulse to turn and flee.

_"It's so empty…" _Jack thought.

No eggs danced through the blades of grass, no breeze ruffled the leaves on the thick branches of the trees. The wicker basket clamped in Jack's hand became noticeably heavy. He felt something shuffle inside, and realised Bunny had finally woken up. The basket itself was shaped like a pod; slightly spherical, a leather-bound grip hung off of the top, and there was a small door in the centre of it, that was shut tightly by a small piece of twine.

Jack felt some nervous pawing at the wicker door.

Except for the weak stands of light curling in between the gap of the door and the main basket, the inside was completely dark. Bunny had been asleep when they'd gently lifted him into it, so he now had no idea where it was.

The pawing became more desperate, tiny fingernails scratching at the door.

"Whaaack?" Bunny said fearfully.

Jack opened his mouth, and then shut it. He looked over at North, who slowly and solemnly shook his head. Jack swallowed back bitter bile in his throat, and forced himself to keep walking.

"Wha-whaaack?" a small, choked sob echoed out from the basket.

Jack gritted his teeth and stole another glance at the Guardian of Wonder. North pretended not to notice, but he hung his head sorrowfully and studied the ground in front of him.

The basket began to swing as Bunny crashed around inside it. Jack could hear him weeping.

"Whaack! Waaaack!" Bunny wailed. "PWEASE WACK!"

A small tear slid down Jack's face, but he let it roll off of his cheek. The basket was shaking violently now as Bunny tried to break out, wailing and sobbing noises bursting out of the carrier. Jack's legs wobbled as he walked, his feet shaking with every step.

"PWEASSSEEEEEE!" Bunny screamed. "WAAAACK! I'M SCWAWED!"

Jack let out a loud choking sob, and stopped walking. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees, placed the basket on the grassy ground, and threw the door open. The little furball came tumbling out, straight into Jack's lap. Bunny gripped onto Jack, sobbing profusely. Jack embraced the little rabbit, caressing his head lovingly.

"Shhh, buddy," Jack said, patting Bunny on the back. "It's okay, it's okay…"

"Jack!" North exclaimed angrily. "What of the plan! It will not work now!"

The plan had originally been to leave Bunny alone in the Warren, under hidden supervision by Jack, and see what would happen. But that didn't matter now.

"Just go," Jack said softly.

"What?" North asked.

Jack raised a finger and pointed back along the path they had come from. He jabbed at the air a few times, and the three other guardians took the hint. They turned, very slowly, and left.

Jack continued to cuddle with Bunny as the little blue rabbit nuzzled his chest, tears wetting the front of Jack's shirt. After a while, Bunny stopped crying, and hung onto Jack, keening softly.

Jack raised his head as he heard a crunch come from the corner of the clearing. He squinted his eyes at a collection of rushes, which were moving despite the lack of wind in the Warren.

Slowly, slowly, something emerged. It was small, just a little smaller than Bunny. It was curved, with tiny little legs. Expertly light patterns were spread across it, painted on by a perfectionist.

It was one of Bunny's eggs. The little egg slowly edged out into the clearing, and stood there expectantly. Jack grinned. He gently turned Bunny round, so the little rabbit was facing the other way.

"Hey Bunny - look!" Jack smiled. "Look who's here!"

Sniffling, Bunny slowly turned his head. His eyes landed on the egg, and his ears pricked up a little bit. Jack gently placed the little Pooka on the warm ground, and pushed him towards the egg. Bunny regarded the egg lopsidedly, and the colourful egg stared back. Then Bunny took a few tentative steps forward, and -

Suddenly Bunny's eyes lit up and he bounded towards the egg. He hugged it, and they began spinning round happily. Jack watched as more eggs appeared from the bushes, and came down to join Bunny. They circled round him, and Bunny giggled and laughed happily.

The rest of the afternoon was some of the best hours in Jack Frosts's immortal life.

The eggs followed them everywhere, and they went _everywhere_. They swam in the stream, they ran through the fields and climbed the trees. They found Bunny's old paints, and smeared their fingers in paint. Then they decorated rocks, plants, and ended up hurling paint at each other. After that, they sat through another bath session, which ended with an over-flowing sink that splayed bubbles across the floor of Bunny's house, and created a waterfall that Bunny slipped down. They ate sweet cakes, fresh lemonade, and Bunny devoured tons of candied carrots.

The wind returned, and the leaves shone in the evening sunlight. Everything was perfect; Bunny was the happiest he had been in the long time, the memories of Pitch's torture long behind him.

But not for Jack.

Jack watched sadly as Bunny frolicked with the eggs, playing a game of piggy in the middle.

_"How long can this last?" _Jack thought absent-mindedly.

Eventually, Bunny came stumbling up the hill where Jack sat. He stood in front of Jack, shivering. The night had crept up on them, and now a chill spiked the air.

"Wack," Bunny said through chattering teeth. "Mwe cowd."

"Okay buddy, let's head back inside, shall we?" Jack smiled, and stood up.

He turned round, and the two began walking to Bunny's house. They dropped down a few slopes, and ended up in front of the main pathway. Jack began happily strolling along, little Bunny bouncing along behind him.

After a few moments, Bunny came to an abrupt halt, and sat back on his haunches. Jack turned round, and smiled at him.

"Hey buddy, what's up?"

Jack Frost's smile faded as he saw Bunny shaking violently. The little Bunny's eyes were spread wide across his chubby face, and his ears were drooping wildly. His paws were clamped together in fear, and his face was riddled with the poisonous lines of terror.

Slowly, he began to back away, shaking his head.

"Bunny?!" Jack took a few steps forward.

"NOOOOH!" Bunny screamed, and he stumbled backwards, crashing onto the ground. He began to weep, scrambling back onto his feet. "No-noooo-n-nooooh!"

"Bunny! Stay with me Bunny!" Jack shouted desperately.

"PWWEEASSSEEE! NOOOOO! PWEASEEEE! NO-NOOH!" Bunny began to wail, desperately trying to run away. But moisture had appeared on the grass, and he tripped, crashing down onto the ground. He squealed in pain as the bandages on his leg ripped off, and his broken food splayed out awkwardly beneath him.

"Bunny, please, tell me what's wro-" Jack froze mid-sentence.

He looked around, and a memory surfaced from deep within his mind. He recognised the trees, the flowers, the stones, the branching pathways, the cliffs, the…the everything. Every detail crystal clear. They were also standing in roughly the same place.

_"The place Bunny met Sophie…" _the thought sent chills through Jack's spines.

Another, more recent memory surfaced.

The image of a knife slicing through Sophie's chest, and her broken form falling into a pool of blood. A fatal nightmare created by Pitch. That was when Jack knew - Bunny had remembered the memory.

"Bunny, please, please stop crying!" Jack pleaded, hot tears streaming down his face. "PLEASE STOP CRYING!"

Bunny screamed louder at Jack's shouting.

"PWEEASE! PWEASE! MOOOOMIE! MOOOOOOMY! PWEEASSEEE!"

Jack stumbled towards Bunny, his hands outstretched. The little rabbit screamed, and ran from the clearing, a thin trail of blood dripping behind him from some wound. He disappeared into the bushes, and Jack collapsed onto the ground.

A deep hollowness filled the spirit's chest, and dark stormy clouds filled his vision.

Something had broken, deep within him.

Because he knew - Bunny couldn't be saved.

* * *

**Oh, the feels! But it's about to get worse. Look out for Chapter 8, which is the final, most heart-breaking chapter (in my opinion). Please R&R and let me know what you thought of this chapter. **

**~FOM**


	8. Chapter 8: The End

_**The Final Chapter...**_

* * *

Jack staggered up the hillock, gripping his chest with his left hand.

_"I'm on fire. I'm on fire. I'm on fire," _the thought raced through his head repetitively, a constant cycle of pain.

Of course he wasn't on fire…at least not physically. But in his chest, fires danced around his heart and heat stabbed at his throat. Coughing, he reached the centre of the hill and collapsed. He tired to stand up again, shakily supporting himself on his one elbow and legs, but it was no use.

He crumpled onto the ground, facing upwards. Lush green grass doused in frosty dew soaked his back, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything any more. The pain inside his chest had blossomed shortly after Bunny had disappeared from sight, weeping as he fled. Something had broken inside of Jack, and now there was nothing but a combination of pain and shadows racing through Jack's body.

The winter spirit had no idea what was happening to him. But he felt weaker, void of strength. His eyelids drooped wearily, and his heart thumped unsteadily in his chest. A furious fever consumed his skin, and he was sweating profusely. Another coughing fit racked his body, and Jack spat up blood.

Panting, he turned his head so the side of his face was pressed up against the grass.

_"It's not a bad place too be," _The Guardian of Fun thought.

It was true. The particular hill was a wonderful area that Bunny - when he had still been himself - had showed Jack on one of their romantic picnics throughout the Warren. Jack sighed sadly, remembering that afternoon, long ago. Amidst all the dark cloudiness in his mind, the memory came through to him crystal clear.

Bunny had showed the hill to Jack early one day - a beautiful clearing surrounded with trees, hat included a breathtaking view over the Warren. They had wasted the afternoon away, talking and laughing. They shared a simple meal of bread, cheese, and a few assorted vegetables. Afterwards they had simply spent time with each other. They talked for hours on end, discussing their lives. Mainly discussing their love. It was the first time the two of them had been open about their relationship - and it had been an incredibly special moment for Jack. A feeling of belonging that he had been missing for a very long time.

Now all of that was gone.

A single tear rolled down Jack's cheek.

"I'm sorry Bunny," he whispered weakly.

Then he closed his eyes, and darkness engulfed him.

* * *

His little fluffy feet bounced across the ground happily. His ears stood perkily in the cool night air, and his little button nose twitched excitedly. He dropped onto all four paws, and snuffled across the ground. He sniffed in the dirt, small smudges of earth appearing around his nose. He finally approached a small patch of flowers, and without hesitation he reached up and plucked a dandelion out of the ground with his teeth. He plopped back on his hind legs and chewed it happily, his little teeth working furiously on the green stem.

After he was done, he bounded further through the Warren. He continued to snuffle, looking for sweet treats. Eventually, the lush grassy plains gave way to gently sloping hills. Indifferent, Bunny continued to sniffle and snuffle at the fresh grass, his chubby stomach pressed against the ground.

But then - it changed. He scrambled up a particularly steep slope, and became aware of trees slowly encircling the slope. Intrigued, he fought his way up the slope. But in his haste, he misplaced his fluffy hand. He slipped, desperately groping for a tuft of grass. But there were none within his reach. He went tumbling backwards, crashing against the slope. He skidded into a crumbled heap at the bottom of the incline.

"WAAAAAACK!" he squealed, gripping his paw. "WAAAAACK! PWEEEASEE! WACK!"

Then he stopped screaming. He paused, and looked around him.

He was alone. Jack wasn't here.

Bunny gritted his teeth like he'd seen Jack do. Then he raised his hurt paw up in front of him. There was a thin trickle of blood slipping down the left side of his paw. He whimpered slightly, then took a deep breath.

_"Wack," _he reassured himself silently. "_Wack_."

He thought of what Jack would do in this situation. Usually he would…he would...

_"Let's get you cleaned up buddy," _Jack's voice echoed in Bunny's head.

Yes! Clean it! Bunny beamed proudly. Then, tenderly, his tiny pink darted out and touched the wound. It was painful at first, but after a few licks, Bunny had groomed away the blood and the wound was clean.

Then he returned his gaze to the hill, and shuffled towards it. He crouched down, and leapt up the slope. This time, he was going to make it.

* * *

Eventually, the little fur ball scrambled over the top and breathlessly collapsed at the top of the hill. After a few seconds of panting, Bunny struggled up onto his feet. He looked ahead of him, and his eyes widened in joy.

"WACK!" he giggled loudly. He had spotted Jack, lying on the ground. He hopped forwards, racing over to the spirit. Bunny came to a stop just by Jack's upturned face.

"Wack!" Bunny smiled. When there was no reply, Bunny cocked his head to the side, confused. "Wack?"

Undefeated, Bunny padded over to Jack's arm, which was lying outstretched on the cold ground. There, Bunny walked over to his hand. Bunny reached out with his two tiny forepaws, and gripped Jack's thumb. Then he pulled determinedly. He pulled and he pulled.

"Wack!" Bunny called as he tugged at Jack's thumb. "Wack!"

He pulled for a few more minutes, his calls become more and more anxious by the second. Eventually, he let go of Jack's thumb in defeat. Bunny took a few wobbly steps backward.

"W-wack?" he mumbled, his bottom lip quivering.

He sat down, plopping loudly down on the ground. He clasped his paws together anxiously. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again.

_"Wat wong?" _he thought to himself. His big eyes were wide, and his nose was twitching wildly. Vaguely, a faint but recent memory surfaced; something bad had happened. Something had upset Jack. But what? What had upset Ja-

_"Mwe," _the thought echoed through Bunny's head. Tears filled the tiny bunny's eyes, and his heart rate increased dramatically.

_"Mwe, mwe, was me," _Bunny thought as fresh tears began to roll down his face. He wailed loudly, covering his eyes as he started hiccuping in between sobs.

He clumsily got to his feet, and stumbled over to Jack's face. He placed two paws on Jack's cheek and sobbed.

"Mwee sowwy Wack!" Bunny sobbed. "Pwease Wack! Pwease wakes up! Pwease Wack!"

But Jack didn't move. He remained motionless on the ground.

"Pwease Wack!" Bunny begged.

"Pwease…" his voice trailed off as he buried his face in Jack's cheek. Hot tears slid off his face onto Jack's, but Bunny gained no response.

In desperation, the little Pooka spun round and ran for Jack's arm. He gripped onto the blue wool sweater, and very slowly hoisted himself up. He fell backwards several times, smashing into the ground, prompting squeals of pain and flurries of tears. But Bunny forced himself to continue, desperate to find out what was wrong. Eventually, he had managed to clamber onto Jack's stomach.

He stumbled forward, loosing his footing and landing on Jack's chest. Pathetically, the sobbing animal crawled up to Jack's face. There, he placed to paws on Jack's chin and called out.

"Wack!" he said. "Mwe sowwy Wack. Mwe sow sowwy!"

But Jack didn't move. He didn't blink. He didn't stir in any way.

Bunny collapsed into a sitting position and cried. Guilt shuddered through his body with every sob, and a continuos string of incomprehensible yet blatantly obvious words raced through his head. Every sentence screamed _"It's your fault! You made Jack upset! Your fault! Your fault! YOUR FAULT!" _

Dark images of screaming children and flowing blood began eating at the edges of his fragile mind.

"N…noooo…no ooh," Bunny said, shaking violently.

His mind was being overrun with thousands upon thousands of images of death, Pookas, life, eggs, Jack, death, torture, pain, death, Jack, Jack, Jack, eggs, paint, grass, fresh, death, Jack, Jack, Ja-

Bunny screamed at the top of his lungs, his little chubby bunny form trembling in terror.

Then his mind was clear.

He looked around, panting wildly.

The thoughts were gone…and now the truth was obvious to Bunny.

He turned to Jack, and very simply said: "Wack sweepy."

Content with the idea that Jack was simply asleep, he padded over to Jack's neck. He crouched on all fours, and padded softly at Jack's neck like a young kitten. He let out a small sigh, and cuddled up against Jack's neck.

"Siwwy Jack," Bunny yawned. "Sweepy all the times,"

Then the little Bunny closed his eyes, and fell asleep, snuggled against Jack.

Unaware of the fact that Jack's neck was unusually cold.

Unaware of the fact that Jack's blood wasn't pulsing through his veins.

Unaware of the fact that the extreme mental pain, sorrow, and heartsickness had caught up to the spirit in one sudden, furious force.

Unaware of the fact that Jack Frost's heart had stopped beating - and the Guardian of Fun would never live again.

_**The End**_

* * *

**That was incredibly difficult to write. I'll admit that I've had this planned from the beginning - in fact, it's the ****_only _****thing I had planned for this story. But god, my bedsheets are stained with tears. Thank you for all the support throughout the writing of this story, and all the creative input. And thank you to Evanescence's "****_My Immortal" _****and ****_"Lythium" _****for sitting with me throughout the writing of this story. **

**I hope to see you guys at some of my other stories. You have been a fantastic audience! **

**Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and cry a bit. **

**~FOM**


End file.
